1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed invention relates to a holder for stabilizing vials during reconstitution, infusion or fluid transfer between vials.
2. Description of Related Art
Many products, especially in the healthcare industry, are stored in a freeze dried or powdered formulation rather than in a liquid form. This is done for a variety of reasons, including to increase the shelf life of the medication by preventing premature degradation of the drug. Another common reason is to reduce the weight and size of the product, thus decreasing shipping and packaging costs. Due to this common practice of packaging compositions in a freeze dried, powdered or lyophilized form, users, and especially health care workers, frequently encounter the need to reconstitute a vial of a dry formulation to a liquid form so that it may be used. In the medical field, reconstitution is often performed so the medication can then be administered to the patient via oral, injection or other methods.
A common practice employed by health care workers in order to accomplish reconstitution of dried medicine is to fill a syringe with diluent and then inject the diluent into the top stopper of the dried medication vial, using a needle on the end of the syringe. In some cases this practice is not practical as the volume of diluent required is greater than what can fit in a syringe. In that instance, the health care worker resorts to attaching a needle, spike or rigid cannula to a bottle of diluent and then turning the diluent bottle upside down over the top of the medication bottle to allow the fluid contents to transfer from the diluent bottle to the medication bottle. The latter is a common practice, particularly in the field of home infusion therapy and to some extent in healthcare fields in general.
The above described practice invites issues surrounding safety, stability and efficiency. When the diluent vial, is up-ended over the medication bottle, and held precariously only by the needle, spike or cannula, the top vial tips and moves. At best it leans wildly. To avoid a disastrous result incurred by the diluent vial falling off or becoming disengaged from the medication bottle, the healthcare worker must hold the diluent vial manually over the top of the medication vial for several minutes for the fluid to infuse. Often multiple vials must be reconstituted for one patient encounter. During this tedious process the healthcare worker's hands are engaged in holding the vials and the healthcare worker cannot perform other activities.
The above employed practices are slow, inefficient, unprofessional and dangerous. The vials of medication are frequently very expensive and must be held so they do not fall and break. They must also be held so the top vial does not inadvertently detach. Were the top vial to detach, the patient could be injured by the needle or the sterility of the vial and its contents could be compromised should the needle or cannula touch other surfaces.
There is a need for an efficient, safe, professional way to hold vials during the reconstitution of medications or the transfer of fluids from one vial to another. Such a method and apparatus must be relatively inexpensive, easy to break down and pack, small and light enough to transport, and easy and fast to use.